Tawfiq Yaakub of Universiti Malaya said the PN chairmanship came with additional responsibilities, especially with GE16 less than three years away at the latest and several state elections around the corner.
Tawfiq said these added responsibilities were substantial and could be too much for Samsuri to juggle alongside his duties as Terengganu menteri besar.
“He needs to focus on his work (as PN chairman) and perhaps even hold nationwide roadshows, especially with the Melaka and Johor state elections looming and the possibility that GE16 will be held concurrently.
“Conventionally, the leader of the opposition or chairman of the opposition coalition is the prime minister candidate in the ‘government-in-waiting’. Therefore, he needs to start making preparations in our dynamic political landscape,” he told FMT.
Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Univeristi Sains Malaysia disagreed, however, saying the PAS vice-president should continue leading the Terengganu government as the state’s success would boost his credentials as a possible prime minister candidate.
Fauzi said elevating Terengganu’s economic performance in particular would be crucial to backing Samsuri’s case to be named PN’s poster boy for GE16.
He said many world leaders built their early credentials at more local levels, including Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who used to be Istanbul mayor, and Indonesian president Joko Widodo, who was Jakarta’s mayor.
“The PN post is partisan in nature while the menteri besar role demands more statesmanship, with policies executed by his administration cutting across race, religion and political leanings in the community.
“It’s not that party duties aren’t important, but in a digital world that’s fast-paced and modern, a lot of it can be done virtually,” said Fauzi.
Samsuri was appointed PN chairman last weekend to fill the gap left by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin on Jan 1.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man previously said that the PN chairman should not be automatically seen as the coalition’s poster boy or prime minister candidate for GE16.
Nonetheless, PAS Youth has already floated the idea of Samsuri being the Islamic party’s prime minister candidate.
In September, the Bersatu general assembly named Muhyiddin as its prime minister candidate. PAS has not named a candidate, saying its focus is on winning GE16 first.